Fritz Winter builds new „Technology Centre” at Stadtallendorf

Fritz Winter Iron Foundry will invest in the coming years approximately 30 millions of Euros in a new Competence Centre for brake discs in the Industrial Park North-East at Stadtallendorf.

The target of the company is to concentrate the mechanical machining of passenger car brake discs, which currently is performed in the main plant as well as at different external sites, at the new location and to clearly expand it in the years to come. Without this investment, several hundred workplaces at Stadtallendorf would have been at risk in the medium term.

The decision for the investment in the Stadtallendorf location was the result of an open-ended selection process. “Fritz Winter has been closely connected to the location Stadtallendorf for many decades. However, we have to compete on an international basis and therefore have always the goal to make the best decision for the future viability of the company”, says Jörg Rumikewitz, CEO. “The economic frame conditions at Stadtallendorf in addition to the good cooperation with the new leaders of the worker’s council and the proximity to the main plant finally have turned the balance for Stadtallendorf.” Otto Kotke, leader of the worker’s council, adds: “Our target is to ensure workplaces at Stadtallendorf on a long-term basis. We have reached this target together with our General Management. I am convinced that our colleagues from the mechanical machining will have an excellent work environment at the new production location in order to completely exploit their strengths.”

For Fritz Winter, the construction of the Technology Centre is part of a long-term strategy, as Dr. Manuel Stark, Head of the Company Development, emphasizes: “In the last years, the clear focus of Fritz Winter has been set on the matter of internationalization by means of the construction of the US plant and our activities in China. We will continue to follow this path. At the same time, we have to position ourselves, in times of change in the automotive industry, for the future on the European market also. The concentration of our expertise in the brake area at a new location with a clear structure and clearly improved processes is an important cornerstone for this.”

The start of construction for the new location will be still this year; start of production is planned for mid of 2018.